Is leniency towards generations safe for society? California teens 16 and older can be sentenced to prison as adults depending on the seriousness of the crime. A person who committed a crime aged 14-15 cannot be in jail past 25. There’s controversy over whether it is fair to sentence juveniles as adults. Some are saying that letting teens rot in prison will be stripping them from life while others argue that allowing teens to serve less harsh sentences is unjust to the victim. Juveniles ages 16-17 years old who commit violent crimes should be tried and sentenced as adults in California. To begin with, teens are intelligent enough to understand wrong from right. Teens develop an understanding of their actions early on in their adolescence. …show more content…
For instance, teens are the most curious age group by nature. Some teens justify their actions by claiming they were only thrill-seeking. If teenagers knew that they wouldn’t get the worst punishment possible, those seeking the “thrill” would be more likely to commit violent crimes. Jennifer Bishop explained how advocating for Juvenile justice is invalidating to victims. Advocates are shunning victims and prioritizing criminals. “The nationwide campaign to end Juvenile Life Without Parole has spent millions of dollars advocating for these convicted murderers to be set free.” (9) By showing support for convicted teen murderers, people brush aside the victims and their family’s trauma. It is inconsiderate to think a teen who was fully capable and took the life of another’s, deserves a lesser sentence because of their age. Some say teens shouldn’t be tried as adults because prisons do more harm than good. Lionel Tate was in prison for years for something he did when he was 15, and his life of crime continued after prison. Lionel’s life choices were guided by his mind. His own decisions landed him in prison and back in prison again. Some people decide to live crime-free lives after prison, it’s all